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A Story Lost
On the morning of July 21, 2010 a young man lost his life in a 2 alarm fire.
It is reported by Channel 12 News and NY1 that the burning row house was discovered by the next door neighbor whose home’s windows were shattered by the FDNY in order to get to the flames raging from the second floor window of the burning house. The FDNY was contacted and about 60 firefighters quickly arrived on the scene to battle the raging flames for 2 hours before gaining control of the flames around 7am. FDNY Chief Wayne Cartwright confirmed that the investigation was still pending.
Two complaints have since been filed by the FDNY with the Department of Buildings determining the building inhabitable due to severe fire damage and instability. The building has since been sealed up.
According to neighbors of 1138 east 35th street in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, “the house had been abandoned since the original owner’s death five years ago.” That is when the neighbors started noticing multiple people of all ethnicities, coming and going from the abandoned house daily.
The current owners of the house had left the property abandoned, leaving the house to drug addicted and alcoholic nomads to make their new home. The owner of the adjacent house stated, “that she had been filing complaints for over a year to the city about the drug and homeless infested residence.” Another neighbor stated that, “the NYC Police dept had been made very aware of the squatters’ palace,” yet did nothing at all. “There were three young guys in there, you know, smoking, drinking and hanging out there.”
“They keep changing everyday—Blacks, Whites, all kinds of people,” said one local.
After extinguishing the fire, the FDNY discovered a 23 year old young man’s body that had perished among the flames amongst the rubble. He is assumed to be one of the squatters who frequented the place daily.
Who was this young man? Was he just another homeless squatter who illegally occupied the residence?
According to a friend and co-worker of the victim, who heard the news the next morning, stated the following, “the guy who died in the fire was my friend from work. He reported to work on time every day, he was a very hard worker, I didn’t believe it when I received the news of his death this morning and I still can’t believe it. He was a really good person that worked with people that had physical disabilities. I’m tearing up thinking about the way he suffered before he died.”
She also stated, “He was a young father that had so much life ahead of him. He was someone’s boyfriend, friend and father. Sometimes life gives us lemons and we make lemonade. That’s what my friend did, made the best of his situation and now he’s no longer here.”
Therefore, the question here is what was this young hard working compassionate father doing in this drug den? Was it a case of the wrong place at the wrong time? “Was he living a double life of hard working Good Samaritan by day and drug addicted nomad by night? It is also rumored that this young man was shot first and then set ablaze along with the house to cover up his murder. Hence, the investigation continues. One of the displaced victims of the fire stated, “I heard loud thumping noises and could hear people yelling and quickly running up and down the stairs shortly before the flames engulfed the abandoned home.” Or, was he just another victim of this harsh recession and heartless government that has forced millions of people in NYC to seek refuge wherever possible?
Another close friend of the possible shooting victim stated,”Yea, I know the dude that died personally, and it’s very sad, I heard he was shot first and then the house was set on fire to cover up the murder. Life’s too short, he lived a short life RIP David.”
Whatever his reasons for being there that fatal morning still remains a mystery to the FDNY, NYC Police Dept and most of all concerned neighbors of the abandoned 1138 35th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn. In this journalist’s opinion, writing this crime off as just another drug addict accidentally killing himself without investigating the speculations, would turn out to be the true crime in this unsolved investigation.
Story & Photos by Terry Beverly
i commend you for going deeper than those that are charged to do so. we all should be diligent in our civil duties in bringing justice to those that are responsible.
Obrigado from Porto. Good to find this one for me.